CAP 2012 – List of Countries

In 2011, the post-electoral crisis caused escalations in violence and displacement. Approximately 187 000 people are internally displaced and nearly 184 000 have fled to neighbouring countries.

The political crisis has exacerbated already high levels of poverty, food insecurity and malnutrition. Humanitarian needs are most acute in western, central-western and southwestern areas of the country.

Challenges facing food security and livelihoods

Lack of access to land, seeds and other agricultural inputs continues to severely constrain agricultural production. Years of insecurity have depleted the means of rural families to provide for themselves. Food insecurity affects nearly one in three rural households. In particular, 66 percent have decreased their food intake, 59 percent have reduced their number of meals per day, and 14 percent have gone several days without eating. Acute malnutrition affects around 19 000 of Côte d’Ivoire’s children.

Poor households are spending nearly three-quarters of their income on food. A 35 percent increase in food prices since July 2011 has furthered the hardship of these families. Price hikes have pushed agricultural inputs beyond the reach of farmers – including a 20 percent rise in the cost of fertilizer.

Access to land and markets has also been a major challenge due to conflict. During the 2011 rainy season, farmers cultivated reduced plots because they were unable to access seeds (of the appropriate quantity and quality). This affected 62 percent of farmers and decreased their crop production. In 2011, the lean season began earlier than usual, which left people with less food for longer period of time.

FAO response

In 2012, FAO seeks to restore the agriculture-based livelihoods of people affected by conflict, and will focus nutrition activities on households with malnourished children.

Efforts to improve the diet of malnourished families and to prevent malnutrition relapse include food diversification, small-scale vegetable production, as well as training on horticulture, good nutrition practices and the use of fresh produce in cooking. These activities will target feeding centres, community health workers, mothers of malnourished children, and pregnant and nursing women.

Additional support will be channeled through unconditional cash transfers for the poorest families, as well as cash-for-work opportunities. FAO will also help to strengthen income generation in areas such as animal husbandry, agroprocessing and marketing, focusing on youth and households headed by women.

As co-lead of the Food Security Cluster with WFP, FAO seeks funding to improve the coordination of nutrition and food security interventions and strengthen the technical capacity of partners in the sector. Early warning and analysis tools – such as the Integrated Food Security and Humanitarian Phase Classification and Dynamic Atlas surveys – will be used to strengthen analysis of needs, including comprehensive information focusing on gender.